Schlaglicht Israel Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1. Nach dem Besuch des US Präsidenten Bush: Israel verschärft Sanktionen gegen Gaza Wenige Tage nach dem Besuch von US Präsident Bush verstärkten die Hamas und andere militante Gruppen den Raketenbeschuss aus dem Gazastreifen auf das israelische Gebiet, insbesonders Sderot. Die israelischen Streitkräfte (IDF) führten weitere Militäroperationen im Gaza­streifen durch, bei denen am 15. Januar 2008 mit 19 Todesopfern und über 50 Verletzten so viele palästinensische Opfer beklagt wurden, dass von einer neuen Qualität der Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Hamas-Kämpfern und IDF gesprochen wurde. Seit dem Amtsantritt des Verteidigungs­ministers Ehud Barak im Juni 2007 wurden insge­samt 300"Terroristen" in Anti-Terror-Aktionen getötet. Die weitere Verschärfung der israelischen Sank­tionen und die Reduzierung der Einfuhr von Gas und Treibstoff führte am 21.01.2008 zu Strom­ausfällen im Gazastreifen. Interantionale Proteste gegen die israelische Politik wurden immer lauter. Auch in Israel hinterfragten Kommentatoren, die Strategie der israelischen Regierung kritisch. Israel's real intention behind sanctions on Gaza Strip "There is an enormous gap between the reasons Israel is giving for the decision to impose significant sanctions against Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, and the real intentions behind them.[…] the real aim of this effort is twofold: to attempt a new form of "escalation" as a response to aggression from Gaza, before Israel embarks on a major military operation there; and to prepare the ground for a more clear­cut isolation of the Gaza Strip- limiting to an absolute minimum Israel's obligation toward the Palestinians there.[…] The decision on sanctions is also an attempt to give expression to the inclination to completely disengage from Gaza. In this way Israel is sending a message to the Palestinian leadership in the strip that it must seek alternatives, however minor, to goods and services coming from Israel. This touches on the day after the Annapolis summit." Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, HAA, 19.01.2008. Dragged into Gaza „The defense minister doesn’t want it. The army chief thinks this is not the right time for a large-scale operation. Even Hamas isn’t prepared to face a broad military incursion and continues to ask for a ceasefire through repeated secret messages. How odd. Nobody wants to see escalation in Gaza, yet everyone is doing everything to make it happen . […] Ever since Hamas’ Gaza coup, we have seen an escalating war of attrition being conducted on the Gaza border.[…] Israel has been carrying out a series of intensive military operations meant to push the sovereign in the Strip, that is, Hamas, into a complete ceasefire on Israel’s terms. In other words, Israel demands complete quiet from Hamas, but it also continues the economic siege and diplomatic isolation aimed at weakening Hamas to the point of losing its hold on power. One of the important levers in accelerating this process is the effort to exact a high Palestinian casualty toll that is meant to prevent them from establishing themselves militarily on the border and deter them from carrying out attacks.[…] The IDF registered a successful day in the framework of the policy to wear down the other side: More than 18 people killed and more than 50 wounded, most of them armed, and virtually all of 1